The present invention relates generally to hay harvesting machinery commonly referred to as mower-conditioners and, more particularly, to a conditioning roll construction which will provide uniform conditioning of crop material passing between intermeshing conditioning rolls.
Mower-conditioners are typically provided with a crop gathering header including a crop cutting mechanism operable to severe standing crop material from the field and a conveying mechanism, such as a reel, to convey the severed crop material rearwardly into a conditioning mechanism. One type of conditioning apparatus is in the form of a pair of counterrotating conditioning rolls mounted generally vertically to receive crop material therebetween and condition the crop material by crushing the plants to permit moisture to escape.
Conditioning rolls of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,929 and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,645 are constructed with a plurality of square-shaped lugs intermeshing with corresponding recesses in the opposing conditioning roll to crush and crimp crop material passing therebetween upon rotation of the conditioning mechanism. These types of conditioning rolls are intended to crimp the crop material at spaced apart intervals to speed the drying process. Crops, such as alfalfa, include a waxy stem that can be dried more evenly and quickly if the stem is split uniformly along the length thereof to facilitate the drainage of moisture therein.
Typically, haying operations take place over a period of time encompassing several days during which the severed and conditioned crop material is laying on the ground to be dried and is, therefore, exposed to the elements, which can severely deteriorate the quality of the harvested crop, particularly when the crop is rained upon. The utilization of desiccants, a chemical such as potassium carbonate chemically hasten the drying process of the crop material, adds significant cost to the harvesting process and exposes the operator to significant problems with respect to handling the chemicals and with respect to the capital expense of providing equipment for applying it to the crop material.
Although many farmers have started using desiccants in their hay harvesting operation, it would certainly be prefereable to provide a mechanical means to hasten the drying process to permit the crop to be harvested in a shorter period of time without adding significant costs to the harvesting process.